The short answer is:
Succession planning shouldn’t be viewed as a contingency plan. It should be a core leadership responsibility that protects performance, culture, and momentum long before a role becomes vacant.
Too often, succession planning is treated as something to address after a resignation, retirement, or unexpected disruption. By then, organizations are already reacting under pressure. The strongest leadership teams take a different approach: they build leadership continuity intentionally, over time, and with clear ownership.
At Robertson Lowstuter, we see succession planning not as a document or a list of names but as a living leadership system grounded in development, mentoring, and strategic foresight.
Leadership transitions rarely happen in a vacuum. When succession planning is delayed, organizations often experience:
Succession planning protects more than titles. It safeguards culture continuity, preserves strategic direction, and ensures leaders at every level are prepared to step forward with confidence.
In fast-moving organizations, waiting until someone leaves is already too late.
Many leaders hesitate to act because of a few persistent myths:
Reframing succession planning as leadership stewardship changes the conversation entirely.
Succession planning works best when it’s embedded into how leaders lead, not handled as an annual HR exercise.
1. Identify critical leadership roles
Focus on roles that carry decision-making authority, cultural influence, or operational risk.
2. Assess leadership capacity NOT just performance
Potential is about learning agility, judgment, and adaptability, not tenure.
3. Create intentional development paths
Stretch assignments, coaching, and feedback accelerate readiness.
4. Formalize mentor/mentee relationships
Mentorship transfers institutional knowledge and leadership judgment in ways training alone cannot.
5. Revisit and refine regularly
Succession planning evolves as people, strategy, and business needs change.
Mentorship is often the missing link between identifying future leaders and actually preparing them.
Well-designed mentor/mentee programs:
Instead of scrambling to replace experience, organizations grow it internally.
To keep succession planning actionable, leaders should track:
These indicators reveal whether succession planning is working or quietly eroding.
Succession planning is most effective when shared across leadership:
An experienced leadership partner can help organizations move from intention to execution without overcomplicating the process.
Immediately. Succession planning should start as soon as a role becomes critical not when it becomes vacant).
No. It’s about leadership readiness, continuity, and long-term capability building.
Enough to be intentional, supported, and aligned with leadership goals without becoming bureaucratic).
Yes. External perspective often strengthens objectivity, accelerates development, and reinforces accountability.
Succession planning doesn’t require predicting the future. It requires preparing for it.
If your organization is thinking more intentionally about leadership continuity, mentor/mentee development, or long-term readiness, a strategic conversation can bring clarity and momentum. Exploring succession planning early creates stability later and ensures leadership transitions strengthen your organization rather than disrupt it.